Where to hear 2010 Hawaiian Grammy nominees

Hawaiian music fans will hear a familiar ring in the list of 2011 Grammy nominees for Hawaiian music albums, announced last night in Los Angeles. Slack-key masters dominate the category, but Hawai’i’s favorite songbird has wisely paired up with several of them to have a fighting chance for the seventh such Grammy Award come Feb. 23. Here are the nominees (click on album titles for links to MP3 samples), in alphabetical order:

Key notes: Honolulu-born Hollywood actress Tia Carrere is not Hawai’i’s favorite songbird, but her name recognition carries a lot of weight with Grammy nominators, and her sultry-sweet, easy listening vocals are pleasant enough, with help from multiple Grammy-winning producer and musician Daniel Ho (her partner on the 2008 Grammy-winning album “‘Ikena.”) It doesn’t hurt that the tunes are based on famous classical pieces such as Beethoven’s Pathetique Sonata (here named “Huli Ho’i Mai.”)

Catch in the act: Not often seen live, Carrere and Ho perform two shows (3 and 8 p.m.) Saturday, Dec. 4, at Whittier College in Los Angeles. For details, see www.tiacarrere.com.

Key notes: If star power alone were enough, this would clinch the Grammy for sure, with favorite songbird Amy Hānaiali’i and, yes, slack-key masters such as Cyril Pahinui, Dennis Kamakahi, Sonny Lim, Chino Montero and Jeff Peterson (also the producer, as well as Hānaiali’i’s frequent sideman.) There’s a jazzy, often joyous feel on well-known songs such as “Makee ‘Ailana” and “Miloli’i”; the well-balanced mix of instrumental and vocal numbers includes Hānaiali’i’s haunting renditions of “Ipo Lei Manu” and “Fields of Gold.”

Catch in the act: Hānaiali’i and Peterson play the Ulupalakua Festival at Tedeschi Vineyard on Maui at noon Sunday, Dec. 5; she also performs at 6 p.m. Dec. 12 at Emma’s Square in Kailua-Kona as part of Kailua Kalikimaka. See the singer’s Facebook page for most current information, or visit www.amyhanaialiigilliom.com. For concerts by the slack-key artists, follow the links from their names, above.

Key notes: Born into a musical family on the Big Island, the slack-key guitar master was nominated for a Grammy last year for “Force of Nature” with Mike Kaawa. “The Legend” features traditional classics such as “Hi’ilawe,” “Hula O Makee” and “Wai O Ke Aniani” and instrumentals such as “Holua” and “Punahoa Slack.”

Catch in the act: Kaapana plays most Sunday nights from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Kona Brewing Company in the Koko Marina Shopping Center, Hawai’i Kai, O’ahu; he also performs in the Masters of Slack Key Guitar series at Napili Kai Dec. 8, Jan. 19 and March 26. For his full concert lineup, visit www.ledkaapana.com.

Key notes: The Maui kama’āina (who produced and appears on the second album in this list) shows his graceful command of slack-key guitar on his many original compositions (see the “Lilinoe” video below) as well as innovative interpretations (“In the Mood,” Neil Young’s “Harvest Moon.”) “Maui on My Mind” won the 2010 Nā Hōkū Hanohano award for slack key guitar album earlier this year.

Catch in the act: Luckily, he’s usually playing wherever Hānaiali’i is (as at the Ulupalakua Festival.) See www.jeffpetersonguitar.com for more information.